Sleeping With the Enemy
by multifandomholic
Summary: It's 1794, and Elizabeth Ward is part of a rich, powerful family that is notorious for hunting the "monsters" that killed her mother. One night she ventures off by herself and meets a handsome stranger. What secrets will unfold when they continue meeting?
1. Chapter 1

**hello everyone! this is the first chapter to this story, so PLEASE REVIEW and let me know if i should keep writing :) i have a lot planned for this so i hope you like this.**

**by the way this story is set in the 1700's in England and the vampires (which come into play a little later) have the same characteristics as my other story "The Hunter and the Hunted" and if you haven't read that (which you should) i'll explain everything eventually...**

**Please enjoy, and review**

* * *

><p>Chapter 1:<p>

My name is Elizabeth Ward. I am 17 years old. I have dark blonde hair that falls well past my shoulders. My father is the powerful Governor of this town in England. As for my mother, she has been dead for ten years. When I was young, my father said it was natural, but now I've learned about the monsters. Ever since my mother's death my father has ordered troops of men to go out every other night to hunt the beasts.

Every so often there are families that lose a mother, a father, a brother or sister due to attacks by the beasts.

My father's men describe them as beings that look human, but can transform into terrible monsters – nothing close to human—with fangs and red eyes. The beasts attack humans by ripping their flesh and drinking the blood, at least those are the stories from the guards.

I was getting ready for bed as I brushed my hair out in front of the mirror. As I set my brush down the candlelight reflected off of my mother's locket. I grasped it for a moment and shut my eyes. Since I was so young when she died, it's difficult for me to remember her. The only time I feel close to her is when I am dreaming, when I am surrounded by nature, or when I'm writing or drawing in her journal. As weird as it seems, being in the forest, where the monsters live, helps me remember her.

The knock on my door made me jump and I laughed at my jumpiness. I grabbed the candle that was lighting my dark room and carried it with me to the door. I opened it to see the familiar face of Dillon, my father's favorite guard. He was tall, much taller than me, had brown hair that fell just at his shoulders when it wasn't tied back, and has beautiful dark blue eyes.

"Hey!" I said, surprised to see him.

"Hey." He responded solemnly.

"What's wrong?" I asked. I put my hand on his shoulder and tried to comfort him, but of course the thickness of the blue uniform did not let any thing through. He ignored it and rubbed his forehead.

"This is the third night in a row where we haven't found anything."

"Isn't that a good thing? Doesn't that mean they've finally moved on?"

"No. It means they're really good at hiding. People are still dying Elizabeth, those _things_ are still out there; we just need to find them." he sighed. "We're going back out there soon; we only came back to eat."

"Well, go and eat dinner. I don't want to keep you." I smiled and kissed him on the cheek.

"Okay." He returned the kiss on my lips. "I'll stop by when I get done."

"No need, I'll already be asleep. Be safe."

"I always am." He winked as he walked away to our dining hall.

As soon as the sound of his footsteps receded, I started packing for my late night adventure. Every so often, whenever I missed my mother, I went out into the woods to a little lake. Sometimes I would draw it with different characters in front of it, other times I would write about my day. This lake wasn't large at all, it was more pond-sized and it was part of a beautiful waterfall. The waterfall wasn't exactly a waterfall either. It flowed off of the black and grey rocks and then fell less than a foot into the pond. All in all, the whole scene was as beautiful as it was peaceful.

I grabbed the dark blue cloak from my closet and shoved a chair against the doorknob, just in case. I went over to the window, pulled the hood over my dark blonde curls, and scaled down the side of the mansion. Thankfully, I was only on the second floor, so the drop, if I were to fall, it wouldn't be life threatening.

I scaled to the ground and landed swiftly on my feet; I've snuck out so many times that I've perfected the strategy.

I looked around to make sure there were no guards watching me. When the coast was clear, I ventured off into the woods.

Normally it would have been too dark to see anything, but the fullness of the moon was lighting the woods for me.

I was on the same trail I have taken numerous times, about to approach the lake, when I heard splashing. It wasn't the same mild splashing I heard from the waterfall, no, it sounded like someone was swimming. I started walking more cautiously as I approached and hid behind one of the bushes.

The person I saw didn't seem to be swimming, but bathing, and from what I could tell, he was naked, at least from the waste down. I looked at his body, _wow, he was handsome_, and he had dark brown, almost black, hair that was short, yet shaggy. He didn't seem to notice me so I sat down behind the bush and started drawing him.

He cupped hands, scooped up water and brushed it around his mouth. He repeated the motion and cleaned his hair.

Just as he was walking toward the edge of the pool, I finished my sketch of him. He was unraveling his shirt and about to put it on when I leaned back to far and snapped a twig. I winced at the sound and looked up to see the man staring back at me. Now that I wasn't crouching behind the bush, I could clearly be seen.

"Who are you?" he yelled as he finally put on his shirt. Sheepishly, I stepped out more.

"My name is Elizabeth Ward…" I said.

"Figures." He chuckled as he began to walk away.

"Wait!" I called after him and he turned around.

"What?" he asked obviously annoyed.

"I drew this." I ripped out the sketch and handed it to him. I realized that I was probably being very suspicious because I was practically stalking him. He looked at the drawing and seemed impressed.

"Wow, that's really good." He said as he gave it back and turned to walk away again.

"No, I want you to have it." I tugged on his shoulder. He sighed and finally took it.

"What am I supposed to do with this?"

"I don't know? Put it up in your room?"

"What room? Do you think I would be bathing in the woods if I had a home?"

"Well—Okay, I guess I didn't realize."

"You know, for a wealthy, civilized person, you're not very smart." He mused

"What makes you say that?" I put my hands on my hips.

"Well first off, you're a defenseless damsel out in the woods all by yourself,"

"I can defend myself just fine!"

"Really?" he took one finger and pushed on my shoulder. I staggered backwards. He grunted. "My point exactly. It's not safe for you to be out here alone."

"Oh, but it's perfectly fine for you to be?" I crossed my arms.

"I'm not you." He retorted.

"True, but even _you_ can't fight against the monsters." I said. He laughed again.

"_I'm_ fine out here by myself, _you _are not. _I _live out here; _you_ live in that perfect protected mansion, so why don't you go back to it." He gave me a little shove in the direction back to my house.

"You're not the boss of me."

"Why won't you listen to me? Aren't you afraid of what's out here?"

"Of course I am, but it's the only place I can remember my mother." I looked down as my eyes started to water a little. "But I'm_ not_ afraid because… because…" I tried to think of an explanation, but I couldn't come up with one.

"So you're afraid, but you're not afraid? Yes, that makes total sense." He walked away yet again. I huffed out air.

"So how come you're not afraid?"

"Like I said, I can take care of myself. You can't, it's too dangerous out here."

"But my father's men said they haven't seen any activity—"

"Your father's men don't know what they're looking for." He grumbled.

"How would you know?"

"Really?" he looked at me skeptically. "You don't—never mind." he shook his head. I looked up at him.

"Can we meet here again? I'd like to draw you again, if that's not weird." I took his jaw and turned his head so I could see his profile. "You have a great bone structure."

He smiled. "Really?" he repeated.

"Yeah, can I draw you tomorrow night; it's the only time I can sneak out. My father doesn't like me doing anything independently." We both laughed after that and after rubbing his temples he concluded:

"Fine, I'll meet with you tomorrow."

"Great!"

"Great." He said sarcastically, turned around and waved back at me.

"See you then!" I yelled back at him.

As I walked home I smiled at the thought of meeting the stranger again. _Hmm, I never got his name;_ Just more of the amusing, mysterious part of him. I'll ask him tomorrow.

* * *

><p><strong>let me know if you like this :) review please!<strong>


	2. Chapter 2

**thank you everyone who has reviewed .. please continue to do so ;D This is kind of a filler chapter, but i promise the next one is where this story is going to pick up :) and sorry it's short...PLEASE REVIEW... and ENJOY.**

* * *

><p>Chapter 2:<p>

The next evening my father and I sat at the table for dinner; he was at one end, I was at the other and our servants had just placed our meal in front of us.

"Thank you." I said quietly to the servant I knew as Mary Ann. She was older than me, around 30 years old, and she had brown hair that was always pulled back behind a bonnet. She nodded to me and left.

"So, Elizabeth, how was your day?" my father asked.

"All right, nothing extra ordinary." I told him as I poked my chicken and green beans with my fork.

"That's too bad."

"How was your day?" I asked him, trying to keep the awkward silence from coming up. My father looked at me.

"Why do you ask?"

"Just curious, you don't expect me to eat in silence do you?" my father chuckled at my comment.

"Well, if you must know, the men and I have been working on a new weapon to use against the monsters."

"And how do you know it works?"

"We do not having a working weapon yet, if we did, we would have captured monsters by now." He took a bite of food.

"So, no progress?" I asked.

"No, we will continue in two nights time." he said. I silently celebrated. Since the guards wouldn't be out, hunting monsters, it would be easier to sneak out to meet the mystery man.

"Father?"

"Yes?"

"May I be excused? I am feeling unusually tired today." I yawned.

"You're not hungry?" I shook my head in response. "If you must." He said, suddenly I realized he looked extremely exhausted. There were bags under his eyes and his facial expressions were mute. I walked over to him and kissed him on the forehead. He took my hand and squeezed it. "Goodnight, Elizabeth." He said.

"Goodnight father." I responded as I left him alone to eat.

. . .

I gathered my things: my journal, my pencil, cloak, and a bag to carry everything in and climbed out of the window to set off to the woods.

Once again, the moon was full and high so moonlight lit the way. It was dark at first but my eyes adjusted. Just as I reached the lake I saw him. Waiting. He heard me approaching and snapped his head in my direction. He looked annoyed and bored.

"You came." I said softly.

"I didn't have anything else to do." He said flatly. I sat on the rock on the opposite side of him and set the journal on my lap.

"Ready?" I asked. I took his head and positioned toward me so that he wasn't directly facing me, but I wasn't drawing his profile either. His skin was cool and I pulled away slowly. Now that I was closer to him I could see his eyes; they were beautiful. They were light green with brown specks, almost freckles. He questionably looked up at me with those green eyes.

"Is something wrong?" he asked.

"No." I said a little too quickly and looked down at my paper, embarrassed. I was practically drooling over his handsomeness and he caught me. I felt my pale face flush. "Just stay in that position." I ordered as I kept on taking quick glances up at him. Every time I _did_ look up, he was always looking up at me. I tried to keep my emotions hidden, but I couldn't help but smile.

I let my pencil draw the striking features of his face that I swear was carved by gods. I tilted the pencil to shade add texture, looked up, and a short amount of time later, I was done.

"Done?" he asked.

"I-I think so…" I looked for anything I missed one more time. I turned the notebook around and showed him.

"Amazing!" he said with true sincerity and took the picture from my hands to study it further.

"Thanks." I said modestly.

"You have a lot of talent," he gave the picture back. "that's hard to come by. Not everyone has talent like you."

"Yeah." I spoke softly. "My father says I picked it up from my mother. She used to draw a lot too." I looked at my work. The mystery man fell silent.

"Used to?"

"She died… ten years ago." I hesitated. He hesitated too, for what seemed like a long time.

"I'm sorry."

"It was the monsters." I told him, even though he never asked. "The monsters came and killed her, that's why my father hunts them…for revenge."

He clenched and unclenched his jaw.

I shoved the drawing back toward him. "I want you to have it. Please, I insist."

"No, you keep it. Something to remember me by." I wasn't in the mood for reasoning with him, so I kept my drawing.

"Speaking of… I never got your name."

He paused for a moment, obviously debating whether or not to give me his name or not. "Aidan. My name's Aidan." He stood up from the rock he was sitting on. "It was… nice seeing you, thank you for drawing me." he chuckled. "I enjoyed being your model for the night."

"You're welcome." I said as I turned around to pack my things back in my bag, but when I turned around, he was gone. "Oh and I was wondering if we could meet again tomorrow night as well… Oh that works for you? Great! I'll see you then." I spoke the words out loud.

When I finally began walking home I decided I _would _try and find him again. That _is_ how we met the first night; by conscience. Call me pathetic, but I wanted to see him. I wanted to know more about him. Maybe that's what was pulling me in so much; the mysterious part of Aidan, plus he was handsome. Maybe it was just the rush I felt from rebelling (as much as I could) against my father that kept me wanting to come back to meet him.

After I climbed up to my window, I hopped inside. I unpacked my bag I took from the forest and placed the journal on my wooden desk. The pictures of Aidan were sticking out a little since I had ripped them out, but I didn't worry about it. No one goes through my journal; they know how personal it is.

I undressed myself down to my undergarments and crept into bed, letting the sheets fall over me and that night I dreamt about Aidan, the mystery man.

* * *

><p><strong>please tell me what you think and REVIEW! i love reviews! plus it keeps the story alive ;) no reviews=no frequent updating<strong>


	3. Chapter 3

**so here we go. this chapter is ONLY THE BEGINNING of the action and twists to come! :) i hope you like this**

**NOTE**: **this chapter DOES switch perspectives (it will saw who) but the change in perspective is not in first person (the POV will not use "i") and if the POV is not specified with the character name it will always be Elizabeth's POV.**

**Enjoy!**

* * *

><p>Chapter 3:<p>

"Miss Ward? Wake up."

I felt a soft hand shake my shoulder. My eyes fluttered open to see Mary Ann at the side off my bed. As soon as she saw me awake, she walked over to the window and opened the curtains. I squinted in return. It was a perfectly sunny day and it shined luminously through. "How was your night?" she asked, still facing out the window.

I looked at her questionably and sat up in bed a little more. "Fine. Not once did I awake. Why?"

"Really? Because when I came by with you laundry, you were nowhere to be found. Except perhaps… " She mused.

My heart dropped and my stomach flipped. "Don't tell my father." I squeezed my lips shut, trying to hide my guilt.

"Don't worry, your secret is safe with me." she winked.

"Thank you."

"How long have you known?" I asked her.

"About your late night adventures? About 2 months. So where were you this time?"

"In the woods—"

"Do you really think it be wise to venture out into the woods? It's extremely dangerous. You should know better."

"I know, I know. It's just—"

"What?" Mary Ann asked.

"I met someone, and the only way I can see him is in the woods." I pointed at my journal. "I drew him last night."

Her eyes widened as she looked at the picture. Then she smiled. "Isn't he a handsome young man." She set the picture back inside my journal. "Why can you only meet him in the woods?"

"He doesn't have a home. He isn't exactly the type my father wants his daughter to be spending her time with."

Mary Ann looked down. She knew what I was talking about. The higher class doesn't mingle with the lower class, but her and I had an amazing connection. She was my mother, sister, and friend even if she was our servant.

Then I thought of Dillon. My father wanted us to marry because he is high in class, a _favorite_ guard for the governor, and a noble man. Don't take it the wrong way, my father isn't forcing me to marry, Dillon. He and I love each other—and we have known each other for quite a long time—it's just I'm getting to that age where most other girls are married.

"Have you seen Dillon around?" I asked Mary Ann.

"Last I heard he was sleeping. The men are going out late tonight. They want to be fully awake while hunting the monsters."

"Tonight? I thought they were going out tomorrow night?"

"they are, but there was another murder last night in a village not far from here." Mary Ann looked into my eyes and saw what I was feeling. "You wanted to go out again didn't you? What is it about this man that makes you risk you life for him."

"I don't know?" I shrugged my shoulders and got out of bed. "He lives in the woods, and he's still alive despite all of the attacks, he must know how to defend himself. Plus, I feel like—" I stopped midsentence as I thought. What did I feel? I turned to face Mary Ann again. "Do you think it's possible to love two people at once?"

"Maybe, but Elizabeth, you've only known this man for a few days. How would you know it's love?"

I thought about it for a moment. I _don't_ know if I love Aidan, but there was something about him that keeps me wanting to know more about him. I smiled up at Mary Ann "I think one of the reasons I like going to see him is because it's my one time I get to rebel against my father. It gives me a rush, knowing that I could be caught at any moment."

We laughed after that and she helped my into my morning gown.

"Will you help me tonight, if anyone asks where I am."

"Lie for you?" she asked. I nodded. "Just be careful and let's keep the wood visitations to a minimum."

"Okay." I agreed.

. . .

The night was quiet, eerily quiet. The sound of my own footsteps and breathing seemed to echo around me. As I made my way to the lake, I looked around. Aidan was nowhere to be found. I don't know why I got my hopes up so high. Why would he come to see me?

Just as I thought about turning around to go home, I heard footsteps come from across the lake.

"Aidan?" I asked the noise. The footsteps continued. I looked as hard as I could, but the full moon had gotten smaller, which made it hard to see well. I finally saw a figure appear, but it wasn't Aidan. This figure was much bigger, Aidan was smaller- in his mid twenties it seemed- but this person was older and more muscular.

"Elizabeth Ward… It's a little late for you to be out here all alone isn't it?" the voice was raspy and sent shivers down my spine. As he walked closer I could pick out distinct features, but I didn't recognize who it was. He was old, about as old as my father.

"Who are you?" I asked, keeping my distance from him.

"Aidan." He responded playfully.

"You're not Aidan, not even close." I spat. Soon he was close to me, too close. I shook my head and put a smile on my face. "You're right, I should be home. If you'll excuse me." I brushed past his shoulder, but he caught my arm and held me tightly in his grip. "Let me go." I ordered. He just chuckled.

"I don't think so sweetheart." His grip tightened, moved to the back of my dress, and started to untie my dress.

"Let me go!" I shouted. Squirming and shoving had no effect on him.

Now my dress was on the ground, around me, and he was working on getting my next layer of clothing off. "Please… don't!" I repeated over and over, but nothing made him stop. I squeezed my eyes shut, and imagined myself somewhere else.

Before I knew it, his hands were no longer gripping me; his body was no longer pushing against me. I opened my eyes again to find the reason why my attacker was no longer on me.

Sprawled across the ground, screaming was _my attacker._ Somebody was attacking _him_, biting his neck.

I don't know what was worse; being attacked or watching this murder. I was frozen; I couldn't move.

Soon enough, the screaming stopped. The person turned around to face me, with blood dripping down his face. I recognized him.

Aidan.

I screamed. I ran. He caught up with me and grabbed me to keep me from running any further.

"Please. It's okay." He said.

"How is it okay? You just killed—" I looked from the bloody dead body to his blood face. His eyes were scarlet and his teeth were sharp and fang-like. This was what they looked like—the monsters. "If you're going to kill me, do it now."

"I'm not going to kill you." he said.

"You're a monster!" I looked away. I couldn't bear to look at him. This is the way my mother died, and this is how I was going to go.

"No, I'm not. Why would a monster save you from that man?" He took my chin, more gently than I expected, and made me look at him. His eyes were green, and his teeth were normal, he even wiped some of the blood from his face.

"I don't know? So you could have me all for yourself."

He laughed. "If I wanted you dead, you would be." I gestured to the dead man he killed. "You and I have been alone… three times? And yet you are still alive." He pointed out. "I'm not going to hurt you."

"Then let me go." I ordered.

"But—"

"Let. Me. go."

He hesitated, which made me think he might actually cause me harm, but he did let me go. "Fine. You're free to go."

I gathered my dress and started heading back to the house.

"I'm sorry you had to find out this way Elizabeth."

I looked back at him, only once, and I almost felt sorry for leaving him alone. "I'll meet you again tomorrow, but I'm warning you, I'll bring weapons."

"Fine." He said.

"Fine." I turned my back to him and didn't look back.

. . .

_Dillon_

He knocked on Elizabeth's door. It was late, so he didn't expect her to answer, so he went ahead and twisted the golden doorknob.

"Elizabeth?" he whispered. Mary Ann had told him that Elizabeth was looking for him, so he took it upon himself to find her.

He lit a candle that was nearby and it glowed around the room. He walked over to her bed only to find a heap of sheets. Confused, walked over to her dresser and sat down. _Where is she? _He thought. He then noticed her journal; maybe he would find answers in there.

As he flipped through the pages he found nothing relevant. Most of the pages were about him and Elizabeth spending time together, which made him smile, but soon enough he saw she wrote about going into the woods. He looked through the pages vigilantly and soon he came upon a drawing.

He pondered at it. _Why does she have this? _It was even signed by her. Realization hit him quickly, and he began to panic. Not because she was with another man, but because she was with _him: _Aidan.

Dillon knew his type, what he was, what he had done, and what he could do.

He took the drawing with him and ran off to the governor.

* * *

><p><strong>do you trust Aidan or not? REVIEW PLEASE!<strong>


	4. Chapter 4

** i am VERY MEAN on the way this on ends, i'm going to admit that right now :) huge cliff hanger! but i left some clues, see if you can figure it out. you may, and you may not. if not, you'll just have to wait and see! it's all just part of the twists and turns.**

**enjoy this chapter :) Review when you're don reading it ;D**

* * *

><p>Chapter 4:<p>

I woke up and my head ached. Part of me didn't want to believe that Aidan was a monster, but then again, he _did_ save me. Am I crazy for wanting to see him again? Yes. He could kill me, but he could have done that before. He has had plenty of chances.

The knock on my door made me jump. I padded over, barefoot, and opened the door to see Mary Ann standing there. She looked nervous. She was picking at the skin just below her nails and her eyes looked tired, making her look much older than she really was. "Elizabeth! Thank God you're safe." She hugged me. "I know you went out last night and when I heard about—" she paused midsentence.

"What?" I asked. Her tired eyes look at me.

"There was another murder last night." She said softly, like it was a secret. "I was so scared. I thought it was you."

"I'm fine." I hugged her. I remembered the man Aidan had killed to save me.

She must have noticed the strain in my voice. "You saw the body, didn't you?"

"Yes." I said. I cupped the back of my neck nervously. "Can we _not_ talk about it anymore?"

"Of course, miss. My apologies." She bowed her head slightly.

I walked to my closet, grabbed my robe, and tied it around my body.

I felt my stomach growl. "Wow, I guess I'm more hungry than I thought."

"I'll make you something." Mary Ann offered and I followed her out of my room.

As we walked down the halls to the dining hall we didn't pass a single guard, or servant. Odd. Usually this place is crawling with people.

The closer we got to the kitchen, the more servants I saw. That solved the servant mystery, but where were all of my father's guards? I let out a breath that I had been holding in.

"You can go ahead and wait in the dining hall. Your food will be ready in a few minutes." Mary Ann instructed.

"Thank you." I said quietly.

I sat down, alone, in the large room. Servants would come and serve me water, or bread as I waited, and their footsteps echoed around me. I found myself tapping my fingers nervously on my lap. There were no guards at the door on the inside, and I didn't see any outside. It's not that I didn't feel safe without them, it's that something was going on and they knew about it. Most likely they were meeting with my father in the ballroom.

Our ballroom doubled as a meeting hall because it was such a large space, and it held in noise, so whenever a verbal fight broke out, the rest of the house would stay quiet.

I slipped the napkin, which was on my lap, and placed it on the table. No one was in the room watching me, so I quietly walked over to the door, which was on the opposite side I came in, and snuck out.

The halls were quiet for the most part, but as I walked closer to the ballroom I could hear chatter—one voice in particular—my father's. I turned the corner to see 10 men in blue uniforms lined up against the large wooden doors. Their faces were stern and they stood, with guns in their hands, ready to protect and defend. One of them noticed me. "Hault."

I knew most of their faces because of Dillon, but I never took the time to memorize every name. The one who spoke had dark black hair and matching black eyes. His looks were memorizing as well as menacing.

"What's going on in there?" I asked. No one responded. "What is going on?" I repeated.

"Miss, you should go back to your meal." Another guard added. How did he know I was eating right now? I guess it was around the time I normally eat, but still.

"Not until I get answers." The men didn't budge. I was getting annoyed. "Where is Dillon?"

"Inside." One said. At least it was an answer.

"And my father?"

"Inside."

"As heir to my father's governing, I need to know what is going on in order to rule properly. Let me in." I commanded.

"Miss," The dark-haired man said as I started pushing my way through. "You can't go in there."

My hand reached the doorknob, twisted it, and pushed the door open. The men followed me in but stood in the doorway as I continued in.

My father was standing on one of the upraised 'podiums' with his arms crossed. His face was creased from frowning. Next to him, Dillon stood, looking unnaturally vicious. Finally, my eyes stopped on the last body.

He was kneeling in the center of the room, and his wrists were chained to the floor.

"Elizabeth! Help me, please." The familiar voice pleaded. I recognized his features instantly. His dark brown hair was tousled from struggling, and his green eyes seemed to pierce my soul; Aidan.

"Shut up." Dillon yelled as he walked over to me. He pulled my by the arm so I was closer to him. I smelled him, his masculine scent, and all of the memories that came with it.

"You have to help me, Elizabeth." Aidan said softly, rattling the chains as he lifted his hands.

"I said, be quiet!" Dillon's voice roared.

Aidan seemed to ignore Dillon's threats. "Please, help me. I tried to explain to them—"

"What? How you are a murderer?" Dillon interrupted. Aidan laughed, but it came out vicious and cruel. My father still said nothing; he just stared at the three of us, with eyes like daggers at Aidan.

"What's going on?" I finally asked softly. "He didn't do anything." I lied. Aidan killed someone, right in front of me, but i couldn't admit that now.

"Elizabeth, this man has killed people. He's a vampire." Dillon informed. The word sounded so foreign. _Vampire._ Never in my life have I known another name than 'monsters'. Everyone knew what we were talking about, so why call it anything different?

"I know." I confessed.

"That's how we found him." Dillon held up the crumpled drawing I had drew just a few nights ago. He shook his head back and forth. "What were you thinking?"

"Tell them! I saved you." Aidan interrupted. I looked at him. His wrists were bleeding from struggling so much.

"He's right. He saved me from a man that was defiling me." I spat out the words, remembering that awful man.

"That doesn't make up for life times of dark deeds." My father finally said.

"Elizabeth, please, I know I've done bad things in my past, but when I met you… You changed me." as I listened to Aidan's words, I believed them.

"Don't listen to him." Dillon's grip tightened around my arm, and I swear I heard him growl. "He's a monster."

Aidan huffed a laugh. "You would know." Dillon's eyes shot daggers in Aidan's direction. I scrunched my eyebrows together in confusion.

"What is he talking about?" I asked.

"Nothing." He said, turning around to lead me out of the room. Once again, my father broke his silence.

"This creature killed your mother!" he took a long metal weapon and swung it at Aidan's midsection. All Aidan did was laugh. "We finally caught you, and now you will finally pay." My father hit him again, this time Aidan spit out blood.

"Is that true?" I whispered to Dillon. He nodded his head up and down. I could feel tears grow in my eyes.

"He used you, Elizabeth. He was using you the same way he used your mother. He created an affair-like relationship with her. He got close to her, and then killed her. He was using _you_ to get close to you father so he could kill him, and corrupt the governing system. If we didn't catch him when we did he would have killed you too." Dillon explained. I walked closer to Aidan, but I kept out of his reaching range.

"Is it true?" I repeated. Aidan looked up at me and said nothing. He just grinned wickedly.

"We all have our secrets." Aidan's voice was no longer, friendly; it was inhuman and violent. "Even your little boyfriend has his..."

I looked back at Dillon. His face was hard, and he was clenching his jaw.

"I can't believe you've fooled them for so long." Aidan's dark voice mused. I looked at my father, he looked confused too.

"Dillon? What is he talking about?" I asked.

* * *

><p><strong>muahahaha! i am so evil! let me know if you think you figured it out or not. if i get a lot of feedback from this chapter, i'll update sooner ;) ..just fyi<strong>


	5. Chapter 5

**here you go! you finally get relief from that awful cliff hanger :)**

**Enjoy and don't forget to review!**

* * *

><p>Chapter 5:<p>

Dillon kept looking forward, eyeing Aidan like a wolf on its prey. "Dillon?" I asked again. He ignored me again.

"Dillon, what is he talking about?" My father spoke up.

"Nothing! He's a liar, and a manipulator!" Dillon seemed to growl again. He took me by the arm and dragged me over to my father. Then he spoke softly, only to us. "Go. Leave now. I'll take care of him."

"I'm not the only one manipulating people here, Dillon." Aidan spoke loud enough for us to hear him and then paused. "It must be in our nature." Once again, a wicked smile grew on Aidan's face.

My father and I didn't leave the room like Dillon commanded, after a pleading look, Dillon left us and lunged forward at Aidan. Before I knew it, his strong hands were around Aidan's throat, chocking him. In all of the fighting, Dillon didn't take time to notice Aidan's hands were free, so Aidan used that to his advantage. With an inhuman amount of force, Aidan threw Dillon off of him and into the wall. Dillon landed with a grunt.

Aidan continued to laugh.

"Get out of here!" Dillon yelled, but I couldn't move my legs. I can't believe I trusted Aidan before; he is such a monster.

Aidan was struggling with the chains, and was tearing at the locks. Finally one gave out and his right wrist was free. Then his other wrist was free. He looked ready to kill.

I didn't notice Dillon in front of me until he prevented an attack by forcing Aidan back to the ground. This time he was sure he had full control of Aidan, and Dillon held him by the wrists.

"You think you can beat me?" Aidan laughed. "You'll never know what it's like. To be strong like me… but I can tell you how…"

Dillon took Aidan's head and smashed it against the tile, creating a crack. I squealed in terror at the sound.

"Give in." Aidan tempted.

"Shut up!" Dillon punched Aidan.

"Dillon—?" I tried to intervene. He looked up at me, but when he did, he lost his focus, and Aidan got the upper hand. Aidan reached for the knife that was hidden in Dillon's belt strap and took it from him.

"Let's show them who you _really_ are." Aidan threatened Dillon with the knife. Dillon struggled under him, but couldn't break free. Finally, Aidan took the knife and plunged it into Dillon's arm. He writhed and screamed in pain, but still managed to throw Aidan off of him.

They continued to fight until Aidan ripped Dillon's sleeve off of his arm, revealing the bloody gash. Aidan held him by the shoulders to immobilize him. I don't know what he was trying to achieve, but I understood as soon as I saw Dillon's arm heal. There was no longer a horrible gash, just his bloody arm.

I looked into Dillon's blue eyes, his blue eyes that I came to love dearly, and they looked sad.

Now I knew. I know what he was hiding. Dillon is a vampire too.

Has _he_ been playing me the whole time too? Has he been getting close to me, just so it would be easier to kill me? No, he's fighting Aidan right now. If Dillon wanted to kill my father and me, he wouldn't be fighting Aidan; he would be fighting with him. But he wasn't; he was protecting us.

"Elizabeth, please leave. Now!" Dillon's voice was soft. I felt hands on my shoulders, and I was being pulled away.

"No!" I struggled against the guard's cold hands. _Cold hands. _They're vampires too.

The dark haired guard, that I spoke to before, held me back as the rest of them went to help Dillon. Within seconds Aidan was being pinned on the floor, and Dillon stood above him.

"How do you wish to execute him, sir?" Dillon asked my father. I looked at my father's tired eyes; he was debating whether or not to trust Dillon. He must have decided to trust him—for now, at least—because my father spoke.

"Starvation. Make his death slow, and long, and as painful as possible." Father said gravely.

"Yes sir." Dillon nodded to his fellow guards and they escorted Aidan out, leaving my father, Dillon, and myself alone.

There was a long period of awkward silence and eventually Dillon broke it.

"Sir, I—" Dillon started. My father held up a hand to stop him.

"Countless times you have spared my life, spared my daughters life… and you've done it once again. You've proved your loyalty to me, and in return you've received my trust."

Dillon looked like he was holding his breath. I wasn't sure if he was, but _I_ definitely was holding air in.

Father continued, "I will continue to let you guard and protect us,"

"Thank you, sir." Dillon bowed his head slightly. Father held up his hand again to stop him.

"In return, you will inform me on everything you know about vampires. All weaknesses, secrets—everything."

"Of course."

"So start now. Is it true what you said about Aidan."

"Yes. His _clan, _you could say, is power hungry. They are looking to take over the government; starting small and working their way up to the throne. That's why he was trying to get close to Elizabeth. He was trying to gain her trust so eventually he would be allowed into the house, and then he could kill both of you."

"And you?" I finally spoke up. "What do you want?"

He turned his head to face me. "We believe in protecting humans. For some reason we are more connected to our humanity than our vampire side. We don't kill humans like they do. We drink in moderation or from animals."

"So you do drink humans?" I asked, a little frightened of what I was hearing.

"Sometimes, yes, but we never _kill_ humans." Dillon explained. "That's why Aidan is much stronger; human blood has more advantages than animal blood. He thinks he is stronger, but we are older."

"When you say 'we'—?" father asked.

"The other guards and myself." Dillon explained. "The rest of the help are humans."

Father nodded in understanding. "And you fight against this other clan in order to protect us?"

"Yes."

"I'll hold you to that." My father said and he walked away. He looked stunned, defeated, confused and betrayed. I knew because I was feeling all of the same things. He left the room, leaving Dillon and me alone.

Dillon walked over to pick up the ripped piece of clothing and said nothing. When he turned back around he must have saw my angry face, so he spoke up.

"Elizabeth, I'm so sorry—"

"I can't believe you've lied to me. I've known you for three years, and you didn't once think, maybe you should tell me you are _not_ human."

"I wanted to tell you, so many times! But I couldn't. I couldn't just say 'hey, by the way, I'm a vampire' you would never understand." He threw his hands up in the air.

"You should have trusted me." I said softly.

"I know, but every time I wanted to bring it up, I could tell it would crush you. I didn't tell you because I wanted to protect you."

I felt a warm tear trickle down my cheek. "How long have you known about Aidan?"

"About him and your mother? Ever since it happened, and 14 years ago I pledged not to let anything like that happen again. So, three years ago when your father wanted guards, I took the chance." Dillon explained. "As soon as I found out you were meeting with him… you scared me Elizabeth. If you had met with again tonight, he would have killed you. I _had_ to stop him."

"I promise I'll tell you anything you want to know, just like I promised your father. I just want you to trust me again." He walked closer to me and I automatically took a step back. He looked down ashamed of what he was.

"I'm sorry." I said to him. "I didn't mean to." I reached my hand up and touched his face. "I do trust you, it's just going to take some getting used to, that's all."

"I'm not like Aidan. He's the monster; I'm the vampire."

"What's that supposed to mean? All 'vampires' are good?" I asked.

"No, but all monsters are bad. He's a true killer, an animal. That's why we made those lies about vamps, we wanted to scare everyone to make them safe." He explained. My eyebrows creased together in confusion. "How about I take time to explain every thing, and any questions you have, as I walk you back to your room. You look like you need to rest."

"I'd like that."

* * *

><p><strong>a lot of twists in this chapter! whooo! let me know what you think :) Review please <strong>


	6. Chapter 6

**sorry i waited so long to update, i was busy trying to finish my other ff: The Hunter and the Hunted (which is complete) so.. yeah...**

**i tried to make this one longer for you guys :) i hope you like it**

***Elizabeth is going to seem very bipolar in this chapter, just a warning, but it's because she's stressed/overwhelmed :)**

**ENJOY**

* * *

><p>Chapter 6:<p>

I walked down the familiar hallway to my room with Dillon at my side. Odd, how something so familiar could seem so foreign in a matter of minutes. Everything had changed within those minutes.

Dillon stopped in front of my door and opened it for me. I walked inside and he followed behind me. I felt terrified because I knew Dillon's secret, which frightened me, but at the same time I felt secure having Dillon near me. He has protected me countless times, and held me when I cried for my mom; I trusted him.

He walked over to the curtains and shut them halfway. "You don't know how many times I wanted to shut these when I came to see you." He explained.

"I thought you said the monsters burned in the sun." I let my mind run free and I ended up saying whatever came through my head. I noticed him falter at the word 'monster', but I continued talking anyway. "Obviously that's not true." I rolled my eyes and rubbed my throbbing temples as I sat on the end of the bed. I gripped the elegantly fashioned iron foot post.

"There are a lot of things that I told you that aren't true." Dillon sighed. "I'm sorry. I can tell you everything now, if you want." He suggested and took a seat next to me on my bed.

"Okay." I lied. I didn't want him to tell me everything. Not now, not ever. I wanted things to go back to normal, but unfortunately this was my normal now. "Start with the sunlight." I said quietly.

He nodded in agreement. "Are eyes are built so we can see things 'brighter' and better in the dark, so in return we also see the daylight brighter. It's irritating, that is for sure, but not deadly." He smiled a little. "We made up lies like that so humans did not suspect us. If they believed the monsters were easily detectable then we -actual vampires- could hide amongst humans without them suspecting a thing."

"Why would you make yourselves out to be something _more_ _terrible_ than you really are?" I asked, thinking about all the times Dillon told me stories to try and scare me.

"Because some vampires _are_ like that. They do not necessarily have the animal-like physique we describe, but they _are _animalistic murderers. That's why you can't trust Aidan. He's just like the rest." Dillon paused as he carefully chose his words. "Those vampires, they kill people like it's a game. They murder whomever they want, and then watch the chaos unfold. It's entertaining to them, to watch everyone scramble in despair."

"So how come you're different?" I asked. I knew I should not have pushed this far, but my mouth moved on its own and Dillon's expression softened. It was then I knew why he was different. He didn't like inflicting pain, he liked helping cease it. He would never stand by and watch dreadful things happen; he would fight them.

"You're really asking that?" he asked in an almost appalled tone.

"Well, yeah. How come you're different from the others?" I repeated.

"I stayed close to civilization, and I guess in return I stayed close to my humanity." He shrugged like it was no big deal. "The other vampires have lost their humanity completely. Nothing about them is remotely human, which is what makes them so dangerous." He looked at me gravely. His piercing blue eyes studied my face and then returned to looking at the floor. "You're afraid of me now, aren't you?"

_Yes. _"No! A little maybe… It's just… this is all happened so fast." I jumbled and stuttered my words as they came out. I clenched my fists in frustration

"You're lying. I can tell. Your heart races when you do." His hands lifted and found mine. Gently, he unclenched them for me. "and you also have a tell-tale sign." He laughed as he explained to me.

"How observant." I said a little freaked out and a little fascinated as I pulled my hand away from his cool touch, not because I was afraid, but because I never noticed how cold it really was. His touch didn't seem human, or alive for that matter.

"And it doesn't take much intuition to tell you don't like what I am…" He said softly. "I should go." He said as he stood up. "I'm sorry you had to find out this way." He paused as if he was waiting for an answer, but he continued anyway. "We can talk later, whenever you're ready."

I nodded my head and I was about to tell him to stay, but he would know I'm lying. I didn't want him here, not as a vampire. I wanted him here as Dillon. "Dillon wait." I took control of his arm. "_I'm_ sorry. It's hard to comprehend everything, that's all. We can talk now. I'm fine, really."

Dillon sat down again next to me and I flung my legs onto the bed and crossed them on top of each other as I leaned back on my hands. Dillon mimicked my movements. "Will you do something for me?" I asked.

"Anything." He replied with a half smile.

"Change your face." I said.

Instantly Dillon's smile was wiped off of his face. "What?"

"I saw Aidan's face, it was different. I'm assuming you can do the same?"

"Well, yes, but—"

"Show me." I crawled a little closer.

"I don't think—" Dillon protested. "You would be frightened—"

"I thought you said you would do anything, this is one of my requests. Show me." I smiled.

I was now sitting directly in front of Dillon. He looked down in what seemed like embarrassment but then I saw him crack a small smile as he shook his head. When he looked back up at me, I watched his eyes change. It started from their black center and then spread outwards, covering the blue. His eyes were red, but they were dulled. I remembered Aidan's eyes. His were deep red, blood red, while Dillon's were brighter and faded. An almost purple tone shined through from his hidden blue eyes.

I realized I was staring too long when Dillon cleared his throat. "Sorry." I muttered, but I continued to stare. "It's almost like magic." We both laughed a little. "I mean really, the strength, the healing_, this_…"

"If you want to call it magic, go ahead." Dillon spoke and through his lips I could see two sharp fangs. I ignored asking about them because there was nothing I needed to know. They were for ripping and tearing flesh so he could get to the blood, and I did not want to talk about that. I asked about his memorizing red eyes instead.

"Do you see differently when that happens?" I asked.

"No. Nothing changes, well the color changes."

"You see more colors?" I asked, confused. Dillon started laughing at me and I noticed his fangs were hidden again. "Why are you laughing? I am simply trying to learn, and you just told me you came up with lies like these to confuse humans…"

Between Dillon's laughs he managed to say, "Fine, fair enough." Then he restarted, and his eyes returned back to their normal blue. "No, I don't see more colors, my eyes change color."

"Well obviously, you just showed me."

"No, they change—" He stopped mid-sentence and thought about his next words. "They change depending on when I have fed."

That answered my questions. "What do you mean?"

"I have not fed…properly... in some time, but after a fresh feed they will be more vibrant red." Then he spoke more softly. "Like the color of blood."

"How is that not magical?" I smiled and laughed a little; Dillon did too.

I was sitting on my knees, with the skirt of my dress creating a circle around me. Slowly, I leaned in closer to Dillon and let my mind forget everything.

My lips touched his cold ones and a shiver ran through my body. I've kissed Dillon plenty times before, but now it was entirely different. It was dangerous. It was romantic. It was exciting.

Dillon shifted from his sitting position and threw one leg over my hip so that now he was straddling my hips. His hands cradled my jaw, then neck, and then back. Carefully, he lowered me down so that I was lying on my back, and he was on top of me. His tongue explored my mouth and mine explored his. The longer he kissed me, the more I felt like I was going to explode. I tugged at his hair to try and relieve the excitement I felt, but I don't think anything would help.

Too soon, he pulled away and lay beside me. I was breathing hard, and my heart was pounding.

"Why did you stop?" I said with a smile in my tone. He turned his head and smiled.

"Do you want the truth? Or the lying version I have given you before?" he asked. I gave him a look, which meant I did not want him to lie anymore. He nodded. "I am hungry, and being so close to you when your heart is racing... it is intoxicating." He pushed a blonde strand of hair behind my ear. "But I'm fine when I'm not kissing you, it is only when I am so near." he smiled.

"So does that mean you can stay here for a little bit longer?"

"Yes."

"Good." I made myself comfortable as I used Dillon's shoulder as a pillow. I had just learned he was a monster, but I didn't care. The love I have always had for him overpowered that fact. He said he was different from the other vampires, and I believe him. I trust him. He was my rock, he relaxed me, and I soon found myself falling asleep in his arms.

. . .

I knew I was dreaming the second I came into the clearing because I saw both Aidan and Dillon standing before me, those two would never be acting so calm around each other. Dillon had his hands folded behind his back, and had a friendly smile across his face. He was dressed in his usual uniform, provided from my father. Aidan was dressed in his simple slacks and loose white shirt looking pleased to see me.

I walked toward them barefoot, and out of nowhere, music started playing. People came out of the bushes and started dancing. Couples spun, stepped and glided with the symphony. Through the crowd I could still see Aidan and Dillon standing on the other side of the clearing.

Soon enough I felt a tap on my shoulder, and I turned around to see whom it was. It was a stranger with shaggy blonde hair and blue eyes. He knelt down and kissed the top of my hand and I could feel my cheeks flushing with heat as he pulled me close for the dance. As we swayed I heard screams erupt from the crowd. I whipped my head around to see what all of the noise was, but no one was there, no one seemed to be dancing any more because they weren't. They couples were all dead, bleeding, on the ground. Just as I turned my head back around to face my dance partner, I saw Aidan bite into his neck and then throw him to the ground. Aidan took a bloody hand and placed it on my waist as the other one guided my right hand in the dance. He smiled, revealing his fangs. "No we are finally together." He said.

His red eyes found their way down to my neck and stayed there for a moment until he leaned forward. His bloody mouth grew in a snarl, revealing his fangs, and I knew he was going to kill me, but he was pulled away. Dillon's body now replaced Aidan's; his eyes we red, his fangs out, his mouth bloody. At this moment, I was just as afraid of Dillon as I was of Aidan.

Aidan got up and dusted the dirt off of his pants and growled. Dillon turned his head and scowled at Aidan. Aidan walked forward, toward me, and then stopped near Dillon, and smiled. Dillon returned the wicked smile, like they understood each other's actions, and they both looked at me.

In a synchronized fashion, they lunged forward, plunged their teeth into my neck, and knocked me to the ground. I screamed as loud as I could and struggled from their vice-like grip, but the white-hot pain felt on either side of my neck overpowered everything. I tried to scream more, but nothing came out. I stared up at the tree's canopy as blackness started to invade my vision.

I woke up in a sweat, breathing hard, and I sat up abruptly. It was no longer daytime. _How long had I slept? _

I looked for Dillon, but he was nowhere to be found. He probably left when I had fallen asleep. He has better things to do than lay around with me as I slept. I knew the dream wasn't real. Dillon would never turn on me, would he? I needed him here, next to me. I need answers, from him.

Slowly I laid back down onto my bed and tried to return to sleep, but no matter how hard I tried, I could not stop tossing and turning. My head was too cluttered. I was too scared to back to bed after that nightmare.

When I was still getting over my mother's death, I had nightmares similar to these. I watched her die over and over again in my dreams and they never ceased until I found her journal. Then I found the clearing, and the nightmares slowly went away.

I knew what I had to do. If I confronted my fears head on, they would go away, wouldn't they? I only had one option. I had to talk to Aidan. I have to get his story.

* * *

><p><strong>There is a button just below this sentence, and i recommend you all push it and review this chapter :D<strong>


	7. Chapter 7

**another twist-filled chapter :)**

**ENJOY**

* * *

><p>Chapter 7:<p>

The large, draped windows let the night light in and the moon left a small shadow behind me. I let my fingers drag across the darkened walls and, to my surprise, I was soon forced to use them to steady myself. I leaned one shoulder against the wall and covered my mouth with one hand to mute my sobs. My knees could not hold me any longer so I ended up sliding down into a kneeling position. Shock and denial hit me hard, especially after that awful nightmare.

The whole thing –mostly- revolved around Aidan. He terrified me now that I knew everything about what he was and what he had done, but something kept drawing him to me. He had multiple chances to harm me, but he never did. _Why?_

Dillon said it was all part of an elaborate plan for Aidan to get close to my father, but if Aidan was as much of a monster as Dillon described, wouldn't Aidan have just gotten the job done as fast as he could?

This is why I was going to see Aidan. I needed answers from him, and now that he was in containment I had a feeling that he would be more lenient to answering my questions.

I gathered up my strength, returned to my feet, and headed to the jail chambers.

. . .

I counted the cells as I walked by. One. _Breathe. _Two._ Breathe. _Three._ Breathe._

I stopped in front of the fourth cell and exhaled. Behind the gridded iron bars was Aidan. His wrists and ankles were chained against the wall and, once again, blood covered his body, which showed signs of a struggle. But there was more blood this time. His arms were covered in blood too, almost like he had been cut. Then I remembered what my father said; he wanted Aidan's death to be slow and agonizing.

Aidan was slowly dying from blood loss.

He was lying on his knees as his head hung low and bobbed up and down from every breath he took, but as soon as I stepped closer, his head shot up. Before, when he was fighting Dillon, Aidan's green eyes held everything but sorrow, but now they were filled with sadness.

"Why did you come?" His raspy voice asked. He tried to shift his position into a more comfortable one, but the chains restricted him, which gave me a little confidence now that I knew he was not going anywhere.

I cleared my throat. "I need answers."

"And your boyfriend could not give them to you? Or were you just too afraid?" a playful smirk came across Aidan's face.

I crossed my arms. "N-no. I want—" I started again. "I need answers from _you."_

As soon as I finished, Aidan's eyebrows shot up. "Me? What do you possibly want to know from me?" he grumbled.

"I want to know why would never killed me. You even saved me from that terrible man. Why? Why hesitate? You didn't with my mother…" I stopped talking immediately so I could hold back my emotions.

"What do you mean?" he asked. What did _he_ mean: 'What do _I_ mean'? It was almost like he was avoiding my question.

So I asked him again. "You had the chance to kill me. Why didn't you take the opportunity?"

Silence.

"What game are you playing?" My anger bubbled up and spoke for me.

Aidan shook his head downward and then when he looked back up at me, he spoke with a snarl creeping into his tone. "I'm not playing a game with you! When I'm near you… I do not know what to do."

I uncrossed my arms and straightened my back. "What?"

He huffed out air. "Nothing."

I walked closer to the bars, so close that I grasped them. "No, tell me. I came here for answers and I am not leaving without them." I stood my ground.

He hesitated. "I was sent to kill you." The matter-of-factness of his tone made me feel uncomfortable. "It was no accident that we ran into each other in the woods. Everything planned, except for that man." Aidan cursed under his breath. "I had strict orders to make sure you didn't survive through the night, but the moment we got talking… I couldn't go through with it." His voice held sincerity in it, and that was the only emotion he let through. It was up to me to decide whether or not I believed him.

He continued to talk. "So I waited. I stretched it out for as long as I could. The other vampires know I follow orders, and they know I followed through with your mother… No one suspected anything, so I kept you alive."

"Why?"

"You reminded me of your mother."

"What?" I asked. It seemed the more I wanted answers, the more questions I received.

Once again Aidan paused and took in a breath. "I am not a good person, Elizabeth. I kill people."

"You do not have to tell me how much of a monster you are. I know."

"No. I do. I never realized it before. I _like _to see fear in people's eyes, but when I'm with you… I change. I remember what it was like to be human. What I feel is something I have not felt in centuries." He said softly.

Once again I felt as if what he was saying was completely true. But I knew better. "You are lying." I said curtly.

"No. I'm not." He lifted his arms but they ended being stopped short by the chains.

I kept talking over him.

"You are telling me all of this so you can manipulate me. Just like you did with my mother."

"No!" he yelled. He closed his eyes to center himself. "I have changed since then, honest. _You_ are the one that wanted answers, and now I am giving them to you. I did not kill you because I have feelings for you."

He's right. I wanted answers and he was giving them to me. I made him feel human again, he wanted to keep that feeling, and so he kept me alive.

Overwhelmed. I was feeling overwhelmed. If Aidan was telling the truth, and if Dillon was telling the truth…

"I have to go." I said turning back toward the door I came through before.

"Elizabeth wait. I know you do not like what I am, but please listen to me." Aidan pleaded.

I kept walking.

"Elizabeth!"

"What?" I finally turned around.

"You wanted answers, but I have not told you everything you asked for."

"What do you mean?" I asked, slowly walking back to the cell he was in.

"It is about your mother." He said.

"What about her? She is dead." _Thanks to you._

"No she is not. My mission was not to kill her; I was ordered to take her away. She is alive. Just like you… just like _me_."

I thought I was overwhelmed before, but now my feelings drove me into lightheadedness, and for the second time today, my legs could no longer support me. I collapsed onto the floor.

* * *

><p><strong>PLEASE REVIEW! ;)<strong>

**p.s. i have another idea for a vamp story... let me know if you would be interested in reading another one from me or not ;D**


	8. Chapter 8

**i hope you all like this chapter. sort of a filler. not much excitement. but i'll let you decide. :) **

**i'm glad to hear some of you would be interested in another vamp FF by me so here is a quick synopsis of what i'm planning. (i was inspired my the book Divergent, and hopefully i won't write too similarly to it)**

**the next story will be about a human girl in a futuristic society that is separated into three sections: human, werewolf, and vampire. this is due to a war. in order to keep the peace, humans, at the age of 17, are sent into training (because they are at the bottom of the food chain..literally). the whole week, vampire and werewolf leaders are watching, and in the end they are allowed to choose how many, or how few, humans they want to turn which means some humans may be forced to become a new species...**

**that's about all i want to say for now, because if i do write it i want to keep it a surprise :)**

**ANYWAY.. ENJOY this chapter and REVIEW!**

* * *

><p>Chapter 8:<p>

"Elizabeth!" Dillon shouted. He ran down the hallway and met me on his knees. "What did you do?" he growled at Aidan.

"I didn't do a thing." Aidan defended.

My hands were holding my face, but I am sure if I were watching I would have seen Dillon's face send a death glare in Aidan's general direction.

"What is wrong?" Dillon asked me, this time he put a supportive hand on my back.

I restrained my sobs and told him about my mother, but I happened to leave out the feelings Aidan shared with me.

"What the hell?" Dillon's strong hands grasped the iron bars and growled at Aidan.

"What?" Aidan had changed his facial expressions dramatically now that Dillon was in the same room. He flashed a half smile, revealing his fangs, almost like he was tempting Dillon to come into the cell and fight him. He was a completely different person now, now that Dillon was in the room.

"You do _anything _to upset her again and I swear—" Dillon shook the bars. Aidan simply laughed as much as he could in his weakened state. "Elizabeth, what are you even doing down here? I told you not to listen to his lies." Dillon started helping me back up to my feet and kept a supportive hand around my arm.

"He is not lying." I said.

"Yes he is. He is manipulating you, and you fell for it." Dillon urged.

"No." I said as I stared at Aidan. "It's hard to explain but I do believe him. My mother is alive; I can feel her when I am in the woods." The more I explained this feeling, the more I believed. I was never afraid to go out in the woods, even though I knew my mother died out there. It was almost like I always knew she was alive. That is why I was never frightened.

"What you are feeling… it is just her spirit. You mother is dead, Elizabeth. I was there when the body was buried."

"Ay, but did you ever see the body? Or was it just the coffin?" Aidan interrupted.

Dillon did not have a response. Instead he tugged me on the arm. "Let's go."

"No!" I fought, but Dillon was stronger and he pulled me all of the way out the door. As soon as his grip loosened, I ripped my arm away. "I need to go back and talk with Aidan."

"What a ludicrous idea! Get back into your bed chamber, now." He gestured down the hallway.

I turned away from him. "No. I need answers."

Before I knew it, Dillon was in front of me. "It's too dangerous."

"He is chained, drained, starving and weak. I hardly think he would be willing to put up a fight." I brushed past Dillon's broad shoulder, but he grabbed my elbow again and pulled me to face him. "Which is why it is even more dangerous for you to see him. Hungry vampires are extremely unsafe." His blue eyes looked stern.

"Good thing he is chained to the wall and locked behind iron bars." I stated and then laughed a little. "I do not think he will bring me any harm." I trotted past Dillon triumphantly since this was the first time he did not stop me. I swung the wooden door opened and kept walking back to Aidan's cell. I heard Dillon's footsteps close behind me. When I stopped in front of him he lifted his head once more. "Where is my mother?" I asked.

"I do not know." He said with a tone that hinted at him lying.

"Yes you do. Take me to her!"

"Elizabeth?" Dillon grabbed my arm again.

Facing Dillon I added, "I need to see her, Dillon. I miss her so much." Tears started welling up in my eyes.

"I cannot take you to her while I am all chained up." Aidan rattled his chains, talking over us.

"_You_ are not going anywhere." Dillon pointed his finger out and then returned to our conversation. "I can find her. Elizabeth, you stay here in the manor and I will search for her."

"Good luck with that." Aidan laughed.

"Aidan knows where she is. Let him take me." I pleaded.

Dillon looked back and for the between Aidan and me, contemplating what he should do. "Fine, but I am going with you. No way in hell I am leaving you alone with him."

"Really?" I asked.

Dillon took his hand and curved it around my jaw. "I know how much this means to you."

"Thank you." I gave him a quick hug. "Where are the keys?" I asked and Dillon pointed to the wall across the room. When I came back he was rubbing his temples. "I can not believe I am letting you do this."

I smiled and opened up the gate then he came up behind me, it was at that moment I realized the chains attached to Aidan had no keyhole. They were never meant to come off. Ever.

Dillon pulled on one and it ripped away from the wall. Then he ripped away the clasp around Aidan's wrist. Then he repeated the motion on the rest of the chains. Aidan rubbed his wrists and smiled. "First things first, I am going to need blood."

"Find some on your own." Dillon added with a disgusted tone. "I do not want to know where you got it from, and after you are finished, meet Elizabeth and me at the lake. I am giving you fifteen minutes." Dillon eyed Aidan in a way that said: _Go!_ And with that, Aidan left.

Up in my room, Dillon packed for me, but the bag looked abnormally light. "Are there enough clothes for me?" I asked. "I expect us to be gone for a long while." I am thinking that walking in the woods looking for one person shall take quite a bit of time.

Dillon smiled up at me as he handed me my cloak. "We will find you proper clothing. Remember that you will be living in the woods for the time being. Your normal dresses would be ruined if you took them with you." He winked.

"I am going to look like a peasant." I crossed my arms and pouted. If there was one thing I loved about being the governor's daughter, it was the clothing: hand-made fabric imported from London, and sewn together to my liking.

As if I had summoned him, my father knocked on the door twice. "Elizabeth?"

"Oh no!" I whispered. "Father will wonder where I will be. What do I tell him?"

"Let me handle it." Dillon whispered back and left me to finish my packing. He stuck his head through the door way and never let my father enter. Whatever Dillon was telling him, obviously did not include a reason for why I would be packing, so he had to be secretive. He shut the door quietly and returned to my side.

"What did you say?" I asked.

"Scarlet fever." He said as his tied my bag together. "I told him that I would take care of you, that I would risk contagion, that there was no need to get the maids sick too. That gives us at least a week, maybe two if we are lucky, to find your mother." He walked over to the window I had used so many times to sneak out of, sneak out to feel closer to my mother. Now I was sneaking out to _meet_ her. _Please let her be alive. Please let Aidan be telling the truth. Please let Aidan be good. _ I sent out the silent prayer.

I watched Dillon crawl over the ledge and jump. Preferably, I scaled down the side of the house because if I jumped, I would be risking broken bones. I ran over to the window and looked down to see Dillon standing there, looking up at me, waiting for me to come down.

"Come on." He whispered as he pulled his hand toward him, gesturing for me to jump. "I will catch you."

"Are you crazy?" I whispered back.

He threw the bag onto the ground and held out his arms. A smile was plastered on his face.

There was no talking him out of this.

I dangled my feet over the edge and sat down, steadying myself on the beams to my right.

"Trust me," he whispered one more time. _I trust Dillon. I trust Dillon._ I squeezed my eyes shut and pushed away from the solid building.

A rush of air surrounded me, my stomach did summersaults, and I tried my hardest not to let out a feminine squeal. Within seconds I felt two strong arms embrace me. Slowly I opened my eyes to find Dillon smiling down at me.

He bent down, picked up my bag, slung it around his shoulder and walked to the woods; he did all of it with me in his arms. I clasped my hands around his neck for better support.

"Holding on?" he asked. I nodded.

Then, the forest was moving beside me in a blur.

* * *

><p><strong>Review please... AND please let me know what you think of my next fanfiction idea :) pretty please.<strong>


	9. Chapter 9

**another update :)**

**and im probably going to start writing my other fanfic... but i won't publish it until i have more of this story finished because its hard to update so many stories at once ;D**

* * *

><p>Chapter 9:<p>

I pulled up the hem of my skirt, my newly obtained, peasant skirt, and dipped my feet into the cool water. Instantly, I found relief to all of the stress I had been feeling. I took a seat just above where the water lapped to shore, put my hands back to support me and closed my eyes.

My peaceful bubble was broken as soon as I heard screaming.

I looked around for Dillon. He was looking around for the source of the noise. Aidan appeared from the woods and was looking at us, wondering what all of the commotion was about. "You two…" he shook his head. I could easily tell that he had just fed based on the fact that his lips had scarlet liquid around them and his hair was tousled—looks like whomever he drank from was either pleased, or put up a fight.

"What was that?" Dillon asked defensively.

"The scream? How am I supposed to know?" Aidan shrugged his shoulders.

"That was not you? You did not cause that woman to scream?" I asked, standing up now.

"Well, she may have found the body…" he trailed off.

"Body!" I asked.

"Relax, I did not _kill_ anyone. I simply caused her to pass out from lack of blood." Aidan started picking at his fingers, obviously bored.

"And you left the body? How careless." Dillon huffed.

"It is still better than killing." I said.

I watched Aidan smile at my comment. "That is your opinion."

Dillon growled in response, and I put my hand on Dillon's chest because it looked like he was about to pounce on Aidan. No matter what, whenever these two were close to each other, it always feels like a war is about to begin. The aggression and tension in the air is much too think. But when they are separated, they are both under control, calm, and humane.

Deciding to change the subject, before they ripped each other's head off I said, "How about we get started. If my father finds out that I am missing he will send guards after me, and I do not want to be anywhere near the manor when they come looking."

Dillon smiled. "I already informed the guards about the situation; you do not have to worry…" he looked down at me as he trailed off. It did not take him long to realize that I was trying to get us moving because we were not making any progress. He cleared his throat and nodded. "Right."

Aidan gestured towards the deep woods. "Shall we?"

I nodded quickly. I have never gone any farther than the lake. Any farther, alone, would mean certain death. Animals and monsters lurked in its depths. Danger lurked in its depths. Danger was on either side of me, escorting me to meet my mother. I have been around danger my whole life; I just never knew it. This situation is not any different, is it?

I took a calming breath. "We shall."

. . .

Walking in the woods at this time at night was surprisingly peaceful, although we have been walking for an awfully long time. I was sleep deprived and physically exhausted. Aidan and Dillon were both walking at a quicker pace ahead of me, I, on the other hand, was slower. "Can we stop for the night? I am tired."

Simultaneously, they turned around. They both looked irritated that I did not have the same stamina that they did.

Dillon spoke up first. "She is right. We have gone far enough today. We can pick up tomorrow. We need to find her shelter so she can rest."

"Why don't we just carry her the rest of the way? Honestly, I do not know how humans survive." He looked at me. "You are utterly powerless."

"No. It would take too long, in her perspective, and she would become too overwhelmed by the whole process." He guided me in a different direction. "Come on, let's find you somewhere to sleep."

Aidan huffed and eventually started following us.

Eventually we found a rock formation that stuck out enough to provide a roof. Dillon broke off branches that were close by and made pine layers to make up the sidewalls. Inside, Aidan put together branches for beds. I laid down on them and tossed and turned to try and get comfortable. I tried using my hands as a pillow. It was no use; these 'beds' were too hard, and I was too cold.

"I am going to keep guard. Try and get a good night sleep." Dillon said to me.

"What about you? You need sleep too." I asked.

"No I don't. I will be okay. Just go to bed." He said and then he turned around and walked out.

Aidan sat across from me, leaning against the rock that made up the back wall. He propped his hands against his bent knees. "Now there is at least one thing he and I can agree on: rest."

I tossed one more time; I was facing him now, shivering. Now that I was no longer moving, my body could no longer produce heat. "I cannot sleep, I-I am t-to c-cold."

Aidan crawled over to me, took off his outer jacket, and laid it on top of me as a blanket. He then proceeded in taking his other shirt, leaving his top-half naked. He wadded the shirt up and placed it under my head.

"Thank you." I said quietly. "But you will become cold." I started returning his shirt, but he pushed it back.

"The coolness does not bother me. I will be fine." He smiled as I lay back down. Slowly he pushed my blonde hair away from my face. A simple gesture, but it made sense, Dillon was not in the room with us, and so Aidan could be himself. I smiled back at him, closed my eyes, and pulled the jacket closer to me. "Goodnight, Elizabeth." He whispered.

. . .

The next day, around sunset, I woke up. We must have settled down close to sunrise because there is now way I could ever sleep through the night _and _day.

We carried on with walking, seemingly going nowhere, simply following Aidan wherever he went. Then we would soon find shelter and rest. Wake up, and then walk again.

Days went on, and I thought that maybe Aidan was leading us in circles. But finally, after seven days, we stopped long before the night was over.

"We are getting close now." Aidan said slowly, almost like he was listening to something as he spoke.

"So we keep walking, there is no need to stop." Dillon said.

"No. Elizabeth cannot stroll into that vampire clan, she will be killed instantly." Aidan informed.

"So she and I will wait here, and you will get her mother. But if there are any discrepancies, I will have your head." Dillon threatened.

"_I _cannot go. I have been banned. This clan and mine have been battling for as long as I can remember. Your mother was one of the many offerings we have shared. We bring them humans to feed on –or to do whatever they want- to make their clan more powerful. We exchange humans to try and make peace, but that is the only time we are allowed on each other's territory." He explained more calmly that any person should be when talking about human trafficking.

"Are you saying you want me to go and get her mother, while you and Elizabeth wait here alone?" Dillon laughed. "No." He looked at me now and shook his head. "I knew this was all a joke."

"No!" I pulled away. "Aidan promised he would help me meet my mother, and now I am finally getting the opportunity, and you are taking it away from me. Please, Dillon, I have dreamed of this day long before I knew she was alive." I walked closer to him. "Please. I know it is hard for you, but you can trust Aidan." Dillon looked over my shoulder at Aidan. "He has gotten us this far—"

Dillon clenched his jaw. "Where is her mother?" he asked Aidan.

"I would not know." Aidan said. "You will have to search the region. Good luck." He tipped an imaginary hat.

Dillon turned to me and gave me a heartbreaking look. The he surprised me by kissing me, long and hard on the lips. "I will return soon. Stay safe."

"I will." I whispered back.

With one last look, he sped away.

"You were telling the truth, right? My mother is near? Dillon will find her?" I asked Aidan.

"Eventually, but until then it is just you and me." Aidan said and smiled.

* * *

><p><strong>What do you think? REVIEW PLEASE!<strong>


	10. Chapter 10

Chapter 10:

Aidan and I returned to a cave, and planned to stay there until Dillon came back. _I hope he hurries._ He probably will; he hates Aidan, and he hates me being alone with Aidan even more.

The cave was dark and drops of water from the last rain echoed all around us. Since I could not see much in the pitch-blackness of the cave, I ended up running into Aidan. His hard body forced me to stagger back a few steps and gather my bearings.

"You could at least watch were you are going. You are the one that can see, remember?" I scowled and walked away.

_Guuuuuurrrrrrrgle. _My stomach complained. Lately, all I have been eating have been are berries, which is much less compared to the extravagant meals I receive back home. The noise of my hunger echoed around the rock walls.

I heard Aidan chuckle in response. "I can go and hunt something down for you; it will not take very long."

"No. I am fine." I shrugged off the offer even though my stomach felt like it was going to collapse.

"No you are not, and just to clarify, you are not a good liar either." He responded.

. . .

Not too many minutes later he was back, with two rabbits, and moments after that he had a fire started and was cooking them on it. The fire crackled and illuminated that cave, allowing me to finally see the beautifully structured face that belonged to Aidan.

He was sitting next to the fire, poking it occasionally, and rotating the rabbits. He took one of them off of the fire, touched it gently, and handed it to me. "Careful, it is going to be hot." He extended his arm, offering the animal to me.

At first, I refused, but the hollowness in my stomach finally urged me to take it.

I did not know where to begin. The leg? The abdomen? I decided on the leg, since that most likely had the most muscle on it. Tearing its limb from the body, I ate the rabbit. I felt like a savage, uncivilized. But, no matter how uncivilized I felt, the rabbit _did _taste good, and my hunger _was_ going away.

"Good?" he asked.

"Mmm Humm." I answered with a mouthful.

"Good." He repeated and stoked the fire some more.

"Adain?" I asked, wiping the corners of my mouth with my skirt. He looked up at me, which I assumed it was the 'okay' for me to continue. "Last week, when you were in the jail cell… were you telling the truth?… about how you felt?"

His olive eyes stayed on me for a long while, like he was contemplating on what to say next. But when he spoke, his voice was steady and sure of what he was saying. "Of course."

I shut my eyes and let out a breath. "Why do you have feelings for me?"

"I told you. The moment I saw you, it reminded me of your mother." He smiled. "She and I became great _friends_, you know?"

I started to smile too, but I stopped when I remembered he sacrificed her to a neighboring vampire clan.

Aidan continued, "You look just like her; blonde hair, same eyes. I made a mistake giving her away, and I promised myself I would never let myself do that to you. You are something special; you have awakened something in me that has not been alive in many, many years. With you, I am human again."

I huffed air. "For some reason I do not believe you."

Aidan arched on of his dark eyebrows. "You don't?"

"No." I shook my head slightly.

He leaned back on his hands, ready for me to tell him my version of the story. "And why do you not believe I am telling the truth?"

"Because," I brushed my hands together, cleaning off the dirt. "You are a vampire, a bad one at that. You hurt people, and you like it. Do not pretend I do not see how you act around Dillon. That is your true side, your real side. I have not changed you at all. Whatever I turn you into, changes the instant Dillon come within speaking distance, which for you, is not very close. You are a loaded gun, just waiting to be fired." I finished, almost out of breath.

Aidan just sat there for a moment, taking in all of what I had just said. He looked like he was going to fight my argument, but I must have misinterpreted his intentions. "I know." He said softly. "I tried to tell you that before. I am not saying I am a good person, because I am not, but when I am around you… it feels like I can be, like there is still hope for me."

For a long while the only sound between us was the crackling fire. "I see." I said quietly.

Aidan's head, which had been hanging between his knees, looked up at me. "Then why do you not trust me? You are safe when we are alone. Do you understand that?"

"I do." I replied.

Again, there was silence.

"Is my mother truly alive?" I asked as I stared into the fire.

"I have no way of knowing. The clan I gave her to uses their humans as personal blood banks and pleasure providers." He paused. I thought of all the terrible things that she has probably gone through. It made me sick. "She will be alive if she has not been killed from either one of those duties." He said promptly.

Suddenly, Aidan became inhumanly stiff. I was going to ask him what was wrong, but he covered my mouth with his hand while he listened for something. Apparently my human ears were too weak to hear anything because Aidan definitely heard something.

As soon as he thought it was safe to let go of my mouth, he quietly walked to the opening of the cave. A long moment passed where nothing appeared. He looked around, ready to pounce.

"Aida—" I whispered, but before I could get his full name out, my vocal cords were cut off by cold-hard fear. I could feel my eyes grow large, my heart race, and body grow stiff.

Five large wolves began circling the cave, and Aidan. These wolves were big, but they were mangy; their ribs were showing from starvation. Their large ears were bent back on their heads and they bared their teeth. They snarled and hissed as they smelled the air. _I wonder if they can tell he is not human? _Aidan growled in return.

One of the beasts leaped toward Aidan, but it was a few feet away.

It was not aiming for Aidan; it was aiming for me.

Aidan reached out to try and stop it, but he was to late. The large wolf brushed past him and started charging toward me. I crawled backwards as fast as I could, and I ended up hitting the hard, rock wall behind me. _This is how I am going to die._ I thought.

With its vicious jowls just inches from my face, the canine stopped. Aidan was behind it, pulling it away. Even in the flickering firelight I could see his dark red eyes, and fangs.

The two of them wrestled for a second, but the wolf was no mach for Aidan's unnatural strength. He placed his hand on the top and bottom of the wolf's mouth and twisted. With a lethal _crack,_ the wolf fell lifelessly to the cave floor.

Aidan turned to the other wolves and they attempted a fight too. This time it was three against one, but Aidan still managed to get the upper hand and he killed two of them. The one he had been fighting looked like it had a broken leg, and the last one, that did not fight, ran off.

Adian's clothes were ripped and he was bleeding. He ran over to me a kneeled at my side. "Are you okay?" he asked.

"I am fine, but you are not." My hand fluttered around one of his wounds.

His pink lips curved up into a smile. "I will heal." And then, almost as if on command, he healed. The bloody gashes morphed together so that the skin no loner had any tears, then his skin turned pink, almost like a scar, and then… nothing. He was healed.

I watched in amazement. "Why did they attack?" I asked, still looking at where his wounds used to be.

"They must have smelled the rabbit." He shrugged.

"And you? Did they no you were not human?" I asked.

"Most animals, like wolves, can smell it. Animals and vampires are not necessarily on the greatest terms, since we are higher on the food chain." He smiled.

I laughed a little. "Thank you." I said softly as I finally looked at him.

"You were scared weren't you?"

I nodded. "I thought I was going to die." I bent my knees up to my chest.

Aidan crawled over to me and slung his muscular arm over my shoulder and squeezed. "I will not let any one, or any thing, hurt you. I swear it."

His face was close to mine as he spoke. His eyes were light green, and completely human, and for the first time in a long while, I felt as if I should kiss him, but before I could react, he leaned in.

His lips were cold and his kiss was firm. His hand ventured down my back and pulled me in to a closer embrace. And then, much too quickly, he ended the kiss, and lay down on his back. I mimicked his actions and rested my head on his shoulder. He brushed hair away from my face. "Goodnight, Elizabeth." He said quietly.

I let my eyes droopily fall shut; today had worn me thin. I need rest. I did not fight it, and I fell asleep in Aidan's arms.

* * *

><p><strong>REVIEW PLEAAAAAASE!<strong>


End file.
